I'm in an American comic book, and all my teammates are main characters and bosses.

Chapter 22: Finally Understanding Through Tears That Crying While Smiling Is the Most Painful

Peter Parker felt his luck had absolutely run out.

He finally started his university life, but what happened? He was inexplicably assigned to a mental hospital on the verge of bankruptcy for public service. If that were all, it wouldn't have been so bad; there weren't many patients anyway, and Peter Parker was happy to have some peace and quiet.

But to everyone's surprise, instead of patients, the hospital director seemed to be experiencing some mental health issues. He was the only volunteer, yet now he's thinking of firing him to cut costs...

I don't even want a salary, okay? I'd be so grateful if you just stamped my internship certificate when I need it!

After a period of self-adjustment, Peter had barely managed to accept his miserable college life. But who would have thought that after only three days, when he returned, the entire hospital was deserted.

He knocked on the guardhouse door and saw a sign that read, "I'm going on a trip - Ron."

If you hadn't put up this sign, I might have thought the hospital had really gone out of business. And seriously, is it really okay to have a mental hospital in Hell's Kitchen? I heard this used to be an orphanage? It just inexplicably became a mental hospital? Damn, the more I think about it, the scarier I get. Maybe I should just quit my job sometime; it'll just mean losing some credits…

Feeling bored, Parker went into the guardhouse, picked up the stamp on the table, and poked it into his volunteer report.

If he were a bad student, he would probably have left by now after getting his stamp. But Uncle Ben had taught him since he was little to be kind to others, do good deeds, and be honest. Plus, with nothing else to do, Parker simply took out his laptop from his bag and started typing away in the guardhouse—well, while he was at it, he was also writing a resignation letter.

All I can say is that Parker is a good kid. If it were anyone else, no one would be surprised if they were just getting glued up here. After all, this is Hell's Kitchen, and Hell's Kitchen in an abandoned universe—a shitty place where anything could happen.

Sure enough, someone arrived quickly. But they weren't there to help with the furnace operation; they were there to beat someone up.

With a loud bang, the door to the guardhouse was kicked open, and Parker, who was studying, was startled by the sudden noise.

Looking back, what came into view was a group of gangsters wearing t-shirts, with dyed hair and tattoos all over their bodies.

I thought that graduating from the community high school would allow me to stay away from these guys.

Now that I've finally gotten into Imperial University, it seems like I'm inexplicably dealing with them instead!

Damn it, I have to find a way to quit!

Just as Peter was still thinking, the man in the lead glanced around and, when he saw the volunteer report placed to the side, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

"Damn this hospital! They tipped off the cops, causing injuries to so many of my brothers, and now they've run away, leaving a little kid to take the fall?!"

As he spoke, the man walked directly in front of Peter Parker, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up from his chair, saying, "Tell me! Where's the boss here?! If you can't tell me, you'll have to pay off your boss's debts!"

"But I'm just a student volunteer! This is only my second time here."

Peter said with an innocent look on his face, "Even if you say that, I don't know anything."

The man didn't tolerate Peter's innocence. He spat disdainfully and then punched Peter squarely in the face. A sharp pain shot through Peter, and he collapsed to the side, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"I'm asking you where your boss is from. If you can't answer that, then I'll have to find out in other ways."

As he spoke, the man spat disdainfully onto Peter, then slowly wrapped the bandage around his hand:

"I know you're innocent, some kid from who-knows-where. But this is Hell's Kitchen, a place where having cameras actually makes you easier to rob. Blame your bad luck for messing with the Hyena Gang. Forget it, why am I wasting my breath on you? By the time your family finds you, you'll probably just be a hollowed-out corpse lying in ice water!"

Hearing the man's words, Peter's face paled. Before the spider of fate had even bitten him, Peter was just an ordinary college freshman. He wouldn't dare fight back when bullied at school, let alone against these real gangsters.

Although Peter had never associated with shady characters, he had heard of the Hyena Gang—the gang was often mentioned at the community high school, and it was rumored that they were also involved in the organ trade in secret.

And now...

My first instinct was to run away. But the door to the guardhouse was already blocked by five or six men. The windows were sealed shut, and the security camera inside wasn't even connected to a power source…

Just as Peter was feeling an unprecedented fear, suddenly, the door to the guardhouse was kicked open from the outside. Looking at the group of people in front of him, Ron asked with a puzzled expression, "What are you all doing here...?"

Upon seeing Ron, and the Chrysalis and the wolf behind him, the leader grinned. Especially when his gaze swept over the Chrysalis, he couldn't help but lick his lips.

"Ha, looks like I'm in luck! I've just run into you guys!"

As he spoke, the man ignored Peter, turned around, grabbed Ron by the collar, and grinned maliciously, saying, "You're that so-called Dean, aren't you? Failing to properly manage your mental illness has caused us to hurt quite a few people! We're all from Hell's Kitchen; if you mess with the Hyena Gang, you should know what to do, right?!"

Hearing the man's words, Ron grinned helplessly, then raised his hand, took out a black meat saw from his spatial storage, and with a rough whoosh, cleaved the man in two.

With a loud thud, accompanied by the sickening crack of bones, blood splattered, and intestines and brains were instantly scattered all over the ground.

"?"

Splashed in the face with blood and entrails, not only Peter Parker, but also the other Hyena Gang members around him were stunned and at a loss.

Ron, looking utterly helpless, shrugged and said, "It's hard for me not to react when you threaten me like this."

As Ron spoke, the sound of a sword being drawn rang out from the side.

Compared to Ron's brutality, Wolf was much more refined. A few flashes of cold light appeared, and then Kusabimaru's blade sliced ​​through everyone's necks. The corpses, still standing, swayed a few times before crashing to the ground with dull thuds.

With a cold, menacing gaze, the wolf showed no mercy whatsoever.

He noticed the way these guys looked at the demigods, as if they were looking at prey, or rather, playthings.

Looking at the corpses scattered everywhere, Ron clapped his hands and said, "Nakome, clean up the scene."

Upon hearing Ron's words, Nakime appeared beside him, then activated the Infinity Castle, moving the corpses and bloodstains along with them, before disappearing again with Ron's tacit approval.

Standing there dumbfounded, poor little Peter felt like his head was spinning—how could that person have suddenly been cleaved in two, and then everyone else's heads had been chopped off? Before he could even scream, they all vanished?

Somewhat bewildered, he glanced around. Aside from the faint smell of blood in his nostrils, there wasn't a trace of blood anywhere else. This sudden, dramatic turn of events, if not for the lingering pain from the punch to his face, would have made Peter think it was all a hallucination…

No, even now, Peter's face was still full of confusion as he asked, "What happened?"

Upon hearing this, Ron brandished the meat saw in his hand and said, "It's nothing, just a few idiots with acute heavy metal overdose."

"Huh?" Upon hearing that the cause of death was acute heavy metal overdose, Peter glanced blankly at the meat saw in Ron's hand.

That's why Nakime is so useful; she not only cleaned up the corpses, blood, bits of flesh, and organs on the ground and body, but she even cleaned the bits of food off the knife.

"Then...then where did they go?"

"It's been recycled. Yes, perfect timing. Let me introduce you. Nakime, come out and say hello."

Ron clapped his hands, and then a flash of dark light appeared. This time, Parker could see clearly that the dark light was a Japanese sliding door. From the darkness behind the sliding door, a woman in a kimono, sitting cross-legged on the ground, holding a pipa in her arms, with her jet-black hair falling to the ground and her face obscured, appeared in the boy's line of sight.

He nodded slightly in greeting. Ron smiled and said, "This is Nakime, my secretary and warehouse manager. You can talk to her if you need anything; just call her and she'll come out."

"Ah, ah, hello, hello, my name is Peter Parker." Looking at the woman in front of him with a calm demeanor, Peter belatedly began the self-introduction typical of a shy teenage boy.

Nakime didn't say anything, she just nodded to indicate that she understood.

Without much introduction, Ron waved his hand and said, "Alright, now that you know us, go back. Oh, and hurry up and finish your food, don't make Infinite City smell weird."

Although the Infinite City is quite large, the flow of time is the same as in the real world. Things left there for too long will still rot and spoil, which is quite frustrating.

Fortunately, for a demon of Nakime's caliber, eating people is a way to become stronger. Five or six people can be devoured in an hour or two. There's no need to worry about them going past their prime due to prolonged consumption.

Having received the order, Nakime nodded and then returned to the Infinity Castle through the Japanese-style sliding door.

Upon hearing Ron's words, Peter was filled with inexplicable suspicion and uncertainty—"Finish eating quickly? What does that mean? Are you going to eat those corpses?"

No way? It can't be! There are so many people, and Miss Nakime looks so small, she shouldn't be able to finish all that food... It must be something else, yes, it must be something else!

While Peter was thinking this, he didn't notice that because he was with Ron and was affected by that inexplicable and unconscious aura, his way of thinking had also changed accordingly—at least, a normal person would have been terrified just by seeing what had just happened.

Demons, considering the brutal scene just now, it would be perfectly reasonable for them to be scared unconscious or even scared to death.

But now... he even has time to hypnotize himself not to think the worst.

But just then, he saw something, his eyes narrowed, and he picked up a piece of paper and said, "What's this...?"

Before Ron could even get his hands on it, Peter burst out with speed far exceeding what he had experienced after being bitten by the spider, snatched the resignation letter from Ron's hand, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"It's a snack!"

"But that's paper, A4 paper," Ron said. "It's kept here for registration, but it's been sitting unused for over a month because we lost customers. You like to eat this?"

"Delicious! I love it!" Parker gave a thumbs up, forcefully swallowed the crumpled paper in his mouth, and said with sincere eyes:

"Paper from other places doesn't taste good. Hospital paper tastes good!"

Upon hearing this, Ron remained silent for a moment, then couldn't help but sniffle, took out a piece of human skin to wipe his tears, and said emotionally, "Good boy, you've finally integrated into the hospital."

"I'm so happy too." Peter was also wiping away tears—how could I dare to resign now? Do they really not take murder and silencing witnesses seriously?

After crying for a while, Ron wiped his tears on Peter's clothes and then introduced him to Peter: "Come, let me introduce you. This is Wolf, our hospital's newest warehouse manager."

"Hello, Mr. Wolf." Peter no longer cared about the strange name, nor did he think anything of the prosthetic arm made of what appeared to be animal bone or wood. He simply forced a smile and said, "My name is Peter Parker, and I'm a volunteer here."

The wolf nodded without saying a word.

"This is the 'Divine Child,' you can just call her Mi-niang," Ron introduced with a smile. "The child in her belly is the master of the wolf."

"Hello." Peter introduced himself with a smile and a tear. He now felt that there must be something wrong with his mind. Otherwise, why would everyone else act as if it were perfectly normal?

(End of this chapter)